Location

Hike up the Mallory Cave Trail to the Hand, short of Mallory Cave, up a gully between Der Freischutz and the Hand. Find an inviting set of slightly overhanging huecos just right of an impressive face climb trending left (Power Bulge, 12c).

Protection

4 QDs plus 2 slings for the anchor. Apparently, the pin is missing (and should be replaced).

By its easiest path, the route is no harder than 11c, and maybe easier. This includes going right to the pin over the lip. I agree with the comment about the long sling for this piece, because otherwise a fall will take your rope across a rock edge. If you were to go straight from the 3rd to 4th bolt without reaching the top of the slope, then this thing would probably be a lot harder. The low position of that bolt (which I clipped at my waist) almost implies that was what was intended. Does anybody here know for sure?

When this issue came to our (Flatirons Climbing Council) attention through a post by Greg Hill on Monday 12/20/04, we were concerned that this was an act of malice. Upon further investigation, it was determined that the removal of the bolts was done as a concern for safety. Although the responsible party (RP) was aware of the ban for placing new bolts, RP was not aware that a Notification for Bolt Replacement form must be obtained from OSMP to remove and reinstall any fixed hardware in the Flatirons (OSMP).

The RP has since submitted a Notification for Bolt Replacement form with OSMP and agreed to pay restitution for the replacement of the bolts. The RP and/or other community minded individuals will be completing the maintenance on these routes soon.

I am posting this information on behalf of the Flatirons Climbing Council, so that the climbing public is aware of the situation and status of these routes and so that people are informed about the process for bolt replacement in the Flatirons.

It is not OK to remove, replace, or tamper with existing fixed hardware anywhere on OSMP without first obtaining a Notification for Bolt Replacement from OSMP. All bolts and other resources on OSMP are considered property of The City of Boulder. Those that do damage to natural or climbing resources can be cited and/or prosecuted. To do maintenance of existing fixed hardware, obtain and submit the required form. This form can be obtained at ci.boulder.co.us/openspace/vis.... Additionally, there are limited opportunities for the addition of new bolted routes in the Flatirons through a process similar to Eldo. See flatironsclimbing.com for complete info.

A word of caution when posting: thanks to the immediacy of the internet, people's preoccupation with posting, and a lack of complete information, this issue has been blown out of proportion. Although posting the initial finding that bolts were removed is appreciated and warranted, fanning the flames of controversy does not benefit the climbing community.

The process, not the individual, should be the focus here, and therefore I have chosen to post information without names. It is unlikely that the RP will post anything (although it may seem surprising), because some people don't visit this site. Please take comfort in knowing that there is no conspiracy, secret cover up, or something going on behind the scene.

I did this climb several times between 1989 & 1991. In late October of 2013, I finally returned to climb it again. I would like to thank the person that replaced all the bolts. Unfortunately the pin was not replaced with another pin or better yet a bolt. This climb is much more committing after the crux, especially for shorter climbers who can't reach the good hold back on the slab. The route deserves to have the same amount of fixed protection it was established with.